Trump’s newly appointed regional diplomat, United States deputy envoy to the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus, is in Lebanon where she’s bringing serious pressure to bear on the Lebanese government.
She’s demanding that Hezbollah be swiftly booted from Lebanon’s government. “We have set clear red lines … that [Hezbollah] won’t be able to terrorize the Lebanese people, and that includes by being a part of the government,” Ortagus told reporters.
Ortagus issued the words after meeting with Lebanon’s new president Joseph Aoun. She declared in a news conference that Hezbollah has been “defeated” by Israel after a multi-month bombing campaign where Israeli jets obliterated many buildings in central and southern Beirut.
This included the killing of longtime Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and his top officials in a Sept. 27 Israeli strike on Dahieh. The covert pager attacks during the middle of that month also killed and wounded dozens of Hezbollah commanders, but also killed children who were innocent bystanders.
Ortagus, who replaced Biden’s envoy Amos Hochstein, expressed that “We are grateful to our ally Israel for defeating Hezbollah.” Many Lebanese civilians were also killed in the Israeli bombing raids, but Ortagus did not emphasize this, which is unlikely to make her many friends among the Lebanese population.
“It is thanks to the Lebanese President Aoun and the Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam and everyone in this government who is committed to an end of corruption, who is committed to reforms and who is committed to making sure that Hezbollah is not a part of the new government in any form,” she continued.
The reality is that this is not something practically achievable, given Hezbollah maintains widespread support across various parts of the Lebanese population, and any attempt to force it out of parliament would likely trigger another civil war.
Lebanon’s government has been traditionally apportioned along the lines of sectarian representation, based on a census which happened many decades ago earlier in the 20th century. The country hasn’t dared attempted a census since, given fears that fighting would break out between Maronite Christians, Shia and Sunni Muslims, and Druze. Demographics have shifted in favor of the Muslim population, and likely the offices of prime minister and the presidency would be taken from the Christians in this scenario.
The NY Times has observed further of the precarious situation the government finds itself in:
Her remarks came after she met with Mr. Aoun, whose election by Lebanese lawmakers last month ended years of political gridlock.
Mr. Aoun has appointed a new prime minister, Nawaf Salam, but the new leadership has so far not formed a government. Senior government posts in Lebanon have traditionally been divided up among the country’s sectarian communities under a decades-old power sharing agreement.
The diplomatic pressure comes at a delicate time for Lebanon. Under the terms of a 60-day cease-fire that ended the war between Israel and Hezbollah in November, Israeli troops were supposed to have withdrawn by now from Lebanon.
Another practical difficulty regarding US demands is that the Lebanese Army is weak, under-trained, and most importantly under-equipped. Washington has sanctioned and limited how much military equipment Lebanon can receive.
Many Lebanese commentators were outraged over Ortagus’ visit and stance:
⚠️ Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus, infringing on Lebanese sovereignty straight from the Lebanese Presidential Palace in Baabda, while wearing the Star of David on her finger.
Intentionally provocative on all levels.“Israel defeated Hezbollah & we are… pic.twitter.com/luv37k4xur
— Hala Jaber (@HalaJaber) February 7, 2025
Lebanon’s tiny air force is not even allowed to have jets, but has only been given what are essentially armed crop-dusting planes. The US in one breath demands the Lebanese Army boot Hezbollah from power, but in the next prevents it from having the arms necessary to do so. So these Trump demands of a Hezbollah exit from the country will remain but empty posturing.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 02/07/2025 – 20:30
